Video: Planes land at Schiphol in storm winds; 268 flights canceled

A western storm drawing over the Netherlands today is causing increasing disruption to flight traffic. So far 268 flights scheduled to arrive or depart from Schiphol Airport have been canceled and there are numerous delays. "Please expect delays for departing flights of up to 30 minutes", the Amsterdam airport warns. "Our flight schedule will be disrupted for the rest of the day."

At this stage 81 departures from Schiphol are delayed. And delays are reported on 220 arrivals, including flights that already landed. 

"Today we expect strong westerly wind, causing delays and cancellations", Schiphol warns on Twitter. Travelers flying to or from Schiphol today are advised to check the airport's app or website or their airline for actual flight information before leaving for the airport. 

One flight each from Warsaw, Cardiff and Tehran to Amsterdam were diverted. KLM 1362 from Warsaw was diverted to Groningen Airport, after circling over Lelystad for 45 minutes. Iranair 725 from Tehran barely entered Dutch airspace before being diverted to Frankfurt. KLM 1058 from Cardiff to Amsterdam circled over the North Sea for a while, then it twice approached Schiphol before being diverted to Groningen at 10:00 a.m.

Amsterdam air traffic control signaled a reduction in flight capacity until at least 1:00 p.m. due to heavy winds, Eurocontrol said. The capacity reduction is expected to increase as the day continues. "High delays" are expected. 

Meteorological institute KNMI issued a code red warning for large parts of the country, warning of gusts up to 140 kilometers per hour. 

The other, smaller airports in the Netherlands are less affected by the strong winds. Only Rotterdam The Hague Airport reports any cancellations - two flights to and two flights from London City - though it is unclear whether these cancelations are weather related.